Re Signal

The dust hadn't settled—but the tension had.

Silken Fang had vanished like smoke, slipping through one of the ruined corridors without a sound. Only the faint echo of his last words remained in the air, curving like ghost-spun silk:

"Don't disappoint me."

Fade stood unmoving.

His blade was sheathed.

Not because the fight had ended—but because something more dangerous had begun.

Kaela was the first to speak. "That wasn't just posturing."

Zeyna crossed her arms tightly, jaw clenched. "You think?"

"No," Kaela said flatly. "I know."

They all turned to Fade, expecting something—a nod, a word, a command. But he didn't speak. His gaze lingered on the corridor Fang had taken, unreadable as ever.

"Was that one of the six?" Darin asked quietly.

Fade blinked once.

"Yes."

No elaboration.

Just that single word.